Mai of China
by Freidon
Summary: A young orphan, Mai, seeks to walk in the footsteps of Fa Mulan, who dissapeared mysteriously 18 years ago. Mai, searching for her own past, meets a small red dragon that might be able to help her.
1. Chapter 1: Mai the Orphan

_ The story begins on a cloudy day, twenty years after Mulan saved China. Mulan is only a legend now, though searches are still being held for her disappearance four years after she married Li Shang. But an attack took all of China by surprise, and most of all, the emperor has grown so old he can no longer do much about it.. It surprised even the older generals. A young man who claimed to be the "New Shan Yu" led the attack. It was an attack held by the Huns. However, these Huns were from a different Germanic tribe, meaning China was facing a new type of enemy altogether. Desperate for soldiers, China offered that anybody could join if a male and 17 or older. Thanks to the Legend of Fa Mulan, however, afew amount of women could join.Almost no background was necessary; just a few extra years of boot camp to make sure you were trust-worthy. In this, the search for the answer of the brave heroine's past begins._

**Prologue**

Mai looked out of the horizon as she grabbed the armor. She was going to do it. She gulped as she reached for the shield. She had planned this day ever since she learned about the Huns. She just had never thought that the Huns would return. Nobody did. These were the same Huns who had fought Fa Mulan. Their leaders were swift, and masters of sneaky tricks. Shan Yu was gone, long gone, but a young man who used Shan Yu's name led the new army. There were thousands of them, all heading towards the Great Wall of China. She still couldn't believe it. She swallowed hard. Women were allowed to become nurses and medics in battle, but Mai didn't want that, she wanted to fight. And now she was going to try and pull the same trick as Fa Mulan. A single tear ran down her cheek. She looked up at the sky. She was going to fulfill her promise to Grandpa.

Grandpa had been the only person to ever show Mai any kindness. He had raised her as his own since she was a baby. However, he died a bloody death when Mai was only five years old. He had been murdered. She always remembered his last words. He had made her promise him that she would one day fight as bravely as Fa Mulan, and that when she did, she would finally understand all the secrets that swirled through her head daily. Where was her mother? Her father? Who were they? What did they look like? Were they warriors, traitors? And most of all, were they alive?

Grandpa had always told her of how she wasn't really his granddaughter, how he had found her lost and alone, barely a day old. He told her as he took her to his home, how she didn't cry at all. He said he had only found her with a broken locket tied around her neck.

Mai touched the locket that still was tied around her neck. Strangely, though it was broken, it was still sealed shut, and it wouldn't budge. It never did. It was water and fire proof, so Mai never took it off. On it, were the engraved words Lei. She had always been puzzled, because it meant flower bud. But, never the less, it was the only thing she owned that was a link to her past. Mai kissed the locket before walking over to her grandfather's temple.

She sighed heavily as she saw the temple's horrifying condition. She hadn't been here in years, and the cracked inscriptions and crumbling stone didn't console the growing feeling of guiltiness. She bowed down and started.

"Ancestor's, I know you are not my true family, but your all I have left. The truth of who my own family is still escapes my grasps. I know you're not truly mine, but I ask you to help me fulfill Grandfather's wish. I wish I could tell you his name, to be more specific, but he never told me. My life is filled with questions, and with me trying to try out Fa Mulan's strategy, I need somebody to guide…" Mai screamed and jumped up as she felt something slithering up to the top of her shoulder. She saw a small lizard scrambling on her shirt desperately to hold on.

"HEY! Mulan! WhaT ARe yOU doING!" the talking thing clinging on to Mai's shirt voice went up and down as Mai tried to shake him off. Finally, after a few moments of struggle, the lizard with an attitude went flying into an old gong. Mai stared at the thing for a moment, as it rubbed it's head and murmured,

"That is majorly areplay." He turned and looked at Mai.

"Hey…your not Mulan. You're smaller then she is, and you're definitely younger. Hah! Imposter!" Mai gulped and stuttered,

"Y..you..you know Fa Mulan?" The creature looked at Mai up and down.

"Well of course I know her! Hasn't anybody told you about the brave and incredibly handsome dragon that helped her throughout her journeys?" Mai looked at the red dragon strangely.

"You look more like a lizard to me." The dragon rolled his eyes and said sarcastically,

"Now where have I heard that one before? But back to the point, you never heard my name?" Mai gulped.

"I'm still not sure what you are, how should I know who you are?" The dragon started muttering to himself and them grabbed a gong and banged it, making a racket. Then in a singsong voice, he declared,

"Lady and... nobody else. I am proud to introduce the most handsome, bravest, smartest, funniest, and everything good put togetherest dragon, Mushu!"


	2. Chapter 2: Mushu & the Letter

Part II

Mai peered at Mushu as they lay in the snow. Mushu whistled.

"The house went bye bye." Mai looked around and shivered. In front of her were ruins of a house. Mushu then screamed.

"Holy Cow! What in the world, how is _he_ alive? I thought I had crushed him!" Mai looked at Mushu suspiciously.

"What?" Mushu's mouth went open at the sight of the large statue in front of him. The only remainder of the house was something that had gotten him to know Mulan.

"The Great stone dragon is alive? How is that POSSIBBLE! Sure, I'm glad he's alive, but he was dead! Smushed! A goner!" Mai looked in front of her and saw an old statue of a dragon. It was large, large enough for someone to even curl up underneath it.

Mushu ran over to the statue and yelled at it.

"Yo sleepy head! Wake up! You have some major explaining to do!" To both of their surprise, the rock started cracking. A mighty roar broke out as the rock split in two and moved aside. But there, smaller then the statue, was a blue dragon. Mushu backed up. The dragon was about a third of the size of the statue. Probably about as small as a dog. It stared at Mushu and chuckled.

"Mushu, what a pleasant surprise! You never told me that you worked for the Fa family? Where is the Fa family?" Mushu rubbed his eyes and checked again if the blue dragon in front of him was real.

"No, you can't be the great stone dragon! If I knew that, oh man, I am in trouble now. Wait, I was the one who saved Mulan therefore I'm better then you. There, ha! You may have stole my girlfriend but I was the one who helped make a legend." Mai looked at them both.

"Mushu, who is that guy?" Mushu looked up at Mai, and opened his mouth to speak but the blue dragon interrupted him.

"I am Ping, at your service. I assume you are a Fa, considering you woken up Mushu?" Mushu shook his head.

"Not exactly. Wait, what _is_ your last name?" Mai looked down, embarrassed.

"I…I don't know. I never knew my parents. I grew up in the streets." Mushu raised his eyebrows.

"You don't even know who your parents were? How did you even grow up then?" Mai gave a dirty look at Mushu.

"I can take care of myself. Anyway, until I was five or six, an old man always took care of me. He never told me his name, but he did like me to call him Grandpa. He told me he found me at his doorstep when I was a baby. He died, but he taught me how to take care of myself. That doesn't matter, what does matter is that I suddenly in one week get into the army, meet a talking dragon who knows my idol Fa Mulan, meet a dragon who knows the talking dragon who knows the Fa Mulan, and still didn't get any answers about how this all happened at the same time." Mushu leaned over to the dragon Ping and whispered,

"She's going loo loo." Mai sighed and walked towards the tents. Mushu went chasing after her.

"Wait, Wait! Ok, I knew Fa Mulan. If it makes you feel any better we can have a glorious mission to find where she went. Ok?" Mai looked at Mushu.

"You don't get it, do you? Nobody knows where she went to because about a year after she married Captain Li she disappeared. Her last words to the emperor supposedly were about why and where they were going. The problem is, NOBODY KNOWS WHAT THEY WERE!" Mai shouted. She was tired. All she wanted was to be a hero that people might remember for at least a year. She wanted to be normal. And these dragons seemed to be proof that she was going insane. Mushu approached Mai.

"Look, I thought that was what you wanted. My purpose is to help whoever asks for it, and though you might not be a Fa, I'm here to help. Now, what's the problem?" Mai smiled a second.

"My problem is that I want to be remembered. I want to fulfill my promise to the only man who treated me like his own child. I want to fight for my country and be remembered." Mushu smiled.

"Then that's what we're going to do!" Ping waved his hand behind Mushu.

"Hello! I'm here to help too, but with Mr. "we'll make a warrior out of you" is taking care of you. What am I supposed to do?" Mai thought deeply for a minute.

"We need you to track down Mulan. There…there must be something behind her disappearing. And the emperor is the only one who knows where she is. He's old, if he dies soon, then so will the secret of Fa Mulan." Ping did a little salute.

"At your service madme." He did a little bow, and marched off towards the forest. Mushu rolled his eyes.

"Hey, genius, the emperor's palace is the opposite direction." Ping nodded and marched off into the night. Mushu sighed.

"And to think that he was smart enough to steal my girlfriend. Mai smiled.

"You know, I do have a friend named Ping. But he's a guy training with me." Mushu whistled.

"Hey, don't you go fallin in love with no body, you hear?" Mai blushed.

"Um, no I didn't mean that. He's just a friend...he…he was taking a dare from his friends to try and become friends with me. It just turned out I wasn't a cold person that they thought I was and he actually liked me." Mushu nodded sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure. He _likes_ you. You're only friends. Mulan said the same thing." Mai twitched her lip.

"I'm telling you," She said, walking towards her tent. "We're just fr…" She stopped talking as an arrow flew by her and landed in front of her. She looked up at the trees near her. She saw, hidden in the trees, were men. At least 50 of them, all with bows and arrows. Mai gulped, but they didn't do anything. Mushu held up a note that was tied to the arrow. Mai read,

"Dear Reader,

We know where you are. We know your battle plans. We know your every move. We've already won the war. Give it up. We know your secrets, we know allies you never knew you had. And we know where they are. Deliver this to the emperor; I believe he would like to know that we have the location that we can win the war with. We will get our revenge. We already have done what we did before. Your wall taunted us. We're in China, and tell your beloved Emperor this. The mountain does not bow to the wind, but the wind wears it away. We leave you with this. We know someone who is powerful that Mulan herself doesn't know is alive. Tell her that her father's head is still mounted in our base as well, and we know whom he died protecting.

-Shan Yu II & Hun Army-


	3. Chapter 3: Captain Zou in a Dress

Part III

Mai looked up at the trees, but in a flash, the men had disappeared. But then, out of nowhere, more arrows with more notes went flying through the air. The men got out of their tents and tried to figure out what was going on. Mai swallowed and ran to the Captain's tent.

Captain Zou was short, but was the toughest person in the camp. He always kept one eye squinted. He was quick to lose his temper, and no one had ever seen a soft side to him. Mai had always been afraid of him, because he often cross-examined her. His favorite line to say to her in front of everyone was,

"Fa Mulan is the only woman I've ever seen who can handle a sword. Women who don't have what it takes to be in the army are not welcome here. Can you take the heat of battle?" Mai had learned to always nod her said and say, "Yes sir" quickly enough for him to be satisfied. Mushu at her neck, (literally) Mai walked into the Captain's tent. He was sitting down looking at a map. He looked up.

"Yes soldier?" Mai cleared her throat.

"Sir, a few arrows are being sent through the air. They never hit the men, only the snow beside them. All of them contain a note that say the same thing." Mai handed Captain Zou the note. He scanned through it quickly, but silently. His face turned pale. He called the lieutenant and dismissed Mai. She walked outside to hear a voice whispering in her ear,

"Oh boy. I cannot believe that he once wore a dress." Mai looked at Mushu strangely.

"You know Captain Zou?" Mushu nodded.

"He was a friend with Mulan. Well, at first he tried to punch her but he was one of the three soldiers other then Shang that she became friends with." Mai shook her head, trying to comprehend all this information being flung at her at once. The Huns were here, and they knew something that could let them win the war. Wait, the Hun may be known for being solo, but they always stayed in large groups when hunting or fighting. If those people were here, there must be at least double the amount of just archer men. And if there were an estimate of a hundred archer men, then there must be a lot more ground men. Why weren't they fighting a surprise attack at this moment? Mai shook her head, confused. It hit her.

"They want something. A response, an item, anything. They're watching us to see what we're going to do about the note. They already are tracking us. They could fight us any moment but they're watching for our weaknesses. They know that I saw them and now they changed spots. Mushu, any ideas?" Mushu scratched his scaly head. He shrugged.

"Who knows what they're doin. You need to train. Watch for anything suspicious and learn how to fight at the same time. If anything comes about, tell the Cap. Of course, there is a chance that he is goin to reply to them. But I doubt that, he was always one for action, not conversation. Of course, he was the one who asked whether or not a dress made him look fat, but still." Mai raised another eyebrow at him. She shuddered, and then thought deeply.

"The letter mentioned Fa Mulan…." A certain obnoxious dragon interrupted Mai.

"Whoa whoa whoa, first off, since when is she Fa Mulan? Mulan is Mulan. She's not like a legend or something." Mushu laughed. Mai stared at him.

"Actually, she is." Mushu hit a side of his head.

"Boy, I have been sleepin a bit too long. Of course, I guess the next thing you know the Huns have reformed." Mai chuckled and asked,

"As you just read, they already have, under a new leader who refuses to tell his real name and calls himself Shan Yu." Mushu shook his head.

"Ok, then how bout this. Has the army excepted women yet?" Mai sighed heavily.

"Where have you been? Of course they did, right, like they expect me to be a boy in these clothes and with this hairstyle." Mushu pouted and complained as Mai headed towards her own tent,

"Man, I don't know _anything_ anymore." Mai walked into her tent and yawned. Mushu looked at her strange.

"What, you tired?" Mai curled up into her sleeping bag and yawned,

"I think I have a right to be considering I just found several million new facts out in one day." Mushu pouted.

"Man," he muttered to himself, "I swear, she is just like Mulan when it comes to sleeping. Now I just need some eggs to stuff in her mouth, that would wake her up, oh Crik…" Mushu stopped and sniffed, remembering that by now Crikee was probably long gone. He sighed. It had seemed only moments ago that he was saying goodbye to Mulan on her wedding day. After that, he had woken up to see Mai staring at him. He smiled as he saw Mai curled up, her fingers twitching in her sleep. With her mangled hair, she looked exactly like Mulan. But her eyes, they were something different. They were different somehow, filled with…. What? Mushu squinted as he peered into Mai's flinching eyelids. He could see them slightly open, nothing special, but so if so much a shadow changed she might wake up. They were filled with, oh why couldn't he put his finger on it!

A thought filled his head. It was sorta like what Mulan looked like just after she had been left on the pass after being discovered. It was a hurt, but a youthful look. Even then, there was something about Mai; Mushu couldn't put his claws on. He yawned then shook his head. He couldn't be sleepy after being in a semi-conscious state for twenty years. He had to find Mulan. Something wasn't right. Mulan didn't run away a lot. If only the emperor knew where she and Shang went off to it must be important. Mushu felt a knot grow tighter and tighter in his stomach. If it had been twenty years since they disappeared, Mulan could be hurt, or even…. No. Don't think about that, he told himself. But it was too late. The thought already crossed his mind. What if Mulan was dead?


	4. Chapter 4: Bacon & Eggs

Part IV

Mai groaned as she heard a trumpet sound. She slowly got up. Man, what a dream, a talking dragon and that letter on an arr…. She opened her eyes to find herself face to face with Mushu.

"Mornin!" Mai groaned even more. She quickly brushed her hair and put her belt on. She slid on her shoes as she started walking out of her tent. Mushu jumped on her back.

"An where you think you're goin?" He said, sliding down her shirt to a spot nobody but her would be able to see him.

Mai walked out of her tent to see everybody in line. And that is where the training began.

Captain Zou looked at the young girl and grumbled to him self. Girls in war were ok; he knew that as a fact in seeing Mulan in action. But this girl, she was different. She wasn't weak, and she wasn't bad either, it was just that she was the only girl in the group, so that made it awkward. Nobody but her had joined that was a woman, or at least his unit. He had heard reports of about 50 women had joined altogether, 30 of them being medics and nurses. His eyes always softened around the girl, or at least when her back was turned. She was outspoken, reminding him of Mulan. After she and Shang left, it took time to mend the shock. Even then, the note she had left the gang of three startled him to this day.

He clapped his hands and motioned the group to all line up. As they did so, Zou smiled and shot an arrow at the top of a wooden post. Many people called him old fashioned for using this old trick that he had learned when he joined, but he would just smile and say, "If a woman can do it, so can you." It was a valuable lesson to learn. He motioned Mai over. Mushu almost jumped up and down, wanting to tell Mai how to get the arrow. Mai just blocked his mouth. She needed to find this out on her own.

"Retrieve the arrow, using these two medals. One represents discipline while the other represents strength, you will need to use both to hold the arrow. Everyone must pass this test to pass this course. The first one to pass it will earn my respect, seeing how they pretty much figured it out on their own, while everyone else copies them afterwards." Mai looked at the medals. It was going to be a long day.


	5. Ch 5: The Locket & Mushu Babbling

Part V 

Mai moaned as she tiredly fell upon her bunk's bed. The first week of training had _not_ been pretty. Abhorring Captain Zou, Mai evened her breathing.

_"As Mai just painfully showed you, doing a simple thing such as retrieving an arrow requires discipline. The one thing she had forgotten to keep in mind was how she was going to get down." Captain Zou chuckled, watching as Mai forced herself to her feet. _

_"She needed strength and discipline to climb her way to the top, but she also needed to think through what she was doing. Logic and common sense should have kicked in, but Mai is Mai."_

Her enervated muscles gleefully accepted the rest; Mai's eyes instantly began to droop in fatigue. Then, just as usual, a certain loud, obnoxious voice disturbed her somnolent body. 

"Yo! Mai! Wake up! How'd it go? You just charge right in here and fall unto the bed without saying a word. Sometimes, I'd almost be willing to swear that when it comes to beddy-bye-time, you are just like Mulan." Mushu loudly scolded Mai for not filling him in. Mai, rolling her eyes, murmured with annoyance,

"I ran a mile without stopping, did 100 push ups and pull ups, and I learned how to duel a man with a wooden sword even through the scorching heat. By the way, did I mention that to learn patience, my fellow soldiers and I had to sit on a hillside while doing sit-ups for two hours?" Tucking herself in, Mai rolled over, trying to fall asleep.

"Hey, girl! Just because a few measly hours of hard work doesn't give you the right to scold me! Who is older? Me, who is at least a thousand years old, or you, who is…who is…Wait. How old are you again?" Mushu's tail flicked about, unconsciously moving. Mai looked down, her mouth becoming dry.

"I'm fifteen. Let me get some shut eye before I use these 'new techniques' on you." The lie flowed bitterly over Mai's dry tongue. Fifteen? Honestly, Mai wasn't even completely sure how to spell her own name, never the less how old she was. It didn't matter, though. No one was there to tell her she was thirteen. That she was sixteen. Mai had grown up being a street rat, but thoughts about her past always haunted her. She made herself believe she was fifteen, as she couldn't face the idea of not knowing. She couldn't face admitting that the only clue of who her family was a dumb, broken locket.

"Fifteen? Girl, you're tall! Scrawny little pin, that's what I call you. Don't the army feed you nothin'?" Mai felt the sudden urge to laugh. Mushu danced over several topics, all of which Mai ignored. Lies constantly slipped out of her mouth. Trying to shrug it off, Mai found her eyes closing, memories flashing.

_"Grandpapa, where did I get my locket from?" A young girl asked, her tiny face wrinkling with frustration as she tried to open the broken jewelry. Her grandfather chuckled, watching in amusement as the raven-haired girl picked at the locket._

_"I found it the day I found you, Mai. It has an inscription, but my eyes can't read anything anymore." His voice rasped, his old age finally taking advantage over him. Mai pursed her lips, sticking her tongue in the corner of her lips in aggravation. She could barely read her own name; she couldn't even guess what the engraved symbols meant._

Shuddering, Mai pushed back the memories. Her grandfather was dead. She got over it. She moved on. Yet, somewhere, in the back of her head, memories that had lain hidden for about ten years began to resurface. The past, whatever it was, is over, time to think about the present.

"And then, that buck-toothed idiot, you're dang Captain, decides to ruin the moment and say, "Does this dress make me look fat?" Mai shook her head, partly out of confusion and partly out of annoyance. She had a lot to think about. Training was almost over with, it had gone on for months. Mai's body had indeed, roughened up, but every day, her aching sides reminded her that she was weaker then the others. She was a woman.

Her mind blurring into a cross between sleeping and dreaming, she never thought much of anything she heard until the next morning. She couldn't seem to get a ridiculous chirping out of her head. Nor could she rid of Mushu's loud, obnoxious voice. All she was sure of was that something was going to happen. Soon. Abhorring her worry-wart self, Mai finally let her fatigued body relax into a light slumber, unaware of the danger lurking ahead.


	6. Chapter 6: Drawing out the Prey

Shan Yu II smiled, his grin spreading farther as he gazed upon the camp. This was easy. The Chinese army had become stretched, their resources weak. Constant war discouraged the citizens and soldiers. The only good warriors were the veterans, the very ones who had fought Shan Yu's predecessor.

"The final blow will be laid upon this country's moral once we hold Fa Mulan's child hostage. This shall be easy; her son was as obvious as night and day. His name is Li Ping, ironically named after Mulan's 'male' name. He claims to be a distant nephew of Li Shang, but I highly doubt that it is coincidence that he is the age that Mulan's son should be." Shan Yu whispered to one of his closest henchmen.

"Mulan had a son? That must be why she wasn't seen in public. But sir, even though taking him will be a large blow, are you sure it is enough to sway the Chinese moral?" The henchmen asked, his eyes darting across the tents. It was easy to track their moves, even with a veteran like Captain Zhou in charge. The Chinese camp was filled with new recruits, most of which could barely use a sword. They didn't bother to cover their tracks; many of the Chinese men didn't believe Shan Yu's warning was real.

"No, you are correct, it will not be the final blow. But to Li Shang and Fa Mulan, it will. They are still alive, I'm certain of it. However, they covered their tracks with great stealth. Reattempting to kidnap their child is the only way to draw them out of hiding. This time it will work." Shan Yu said, his voice growing testy.

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"_The child! Grab the child, you fools!" Shan Yu II shouted, his calmness fading. Li Shang shook with anger and fear, it appeared as if his old soldier instinct was kicking into his veins._

"_You are low, stealing a child in order to draw us out!" He shouted, his muscles tensing. His wife stood beside him, sword in hand. Anger in her eyes, fear in her heart. _

_For a moment, everyone in the Li household stopped. The child had fallen out of the henchman's arms, straight into the river, where they had been trying to flee. Now all hopes of negotiating with Li and Fa were lost. His only hope was to strike at Fa, her stomach round with child. _

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

The child that had fallen into the river could not have survived, but the boy, the unborn child, had reported to be, indeed, alive. The assult had failed, that day. And once again, Li Shang and Fa Mulan had chosen to hide. It was in Shan Yu's good fortune, however, that they chose to let their son continue with training. Under the Li surname, no less.

Li Shang and Fa Mulan had most likely aged in the last twenty years. Shan Yu himself was no longer young, though it benefited him to be thought as young. Surprise was a powerful attack, and if the Chinese emperor underestimated the Huns with their supposed 'Wannabe young warrior', then the surprise would be a much more powerful blow. If it was timed right, they could bring down the empire.

"By the end of this war, they will no longer underestimate us." He grinned sickly, his henchman paling at the sight of his leader's foul mood. Swallowing hard, the henchman nodded.

"They are fools to underestimate us, my lord. But how do we wish to identify their son? Li may be a well-known surname, but it is not rare. The whole plan could collapse into ruin if not attempted correctly."

"It will not be hard. I have my sources, indeed. We will wait this one out, until the exact moment. We will let our flies get caught in our web of tricks before we head in for the kill. Even if we do not capture their son, I assure you, my friend, Fa Mulan will be pleased to hear that I carry her father's head as my trophy.

She may be a woman, but she is no fool. She knows the wicked games we play. What she doesn't know, is that I have another trick up my sleeve that gives me the upper hand." Shan Yu chuckled to himself, his henchman white as a ghost. Never before had his leading officer ever spoke to him, never the less laid out the plans for him.

Shan Yu swept around his eyes a glow with something far more dangerous then a warrior's eye. Shan Yu had an insane look written all over his face. The Henchman shuddered, Shan Yu's eyes peering into his very being, his very soul.

"You have caught me in a villain's monologue, my dear friend. You, however, are not even a Sergeant. Too bad. I wouldn't dare risk you being a spy. Take him away." With the flick of his hand, Shan Yu sent the innocent henchman away, to his death. All for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Now alone, Shan Yu let out a relieved sigh. Clenching his fist, he stared into the abyss. The power of China in reach of his grasp was a tempting aspect, but the idea of holding China in the palm of his hand was a far much more pleasant one. He would wait. Draw out the prey before you head for their throats.

"I failed in disposing of you once, Fa Mulan, I will not do it again. I will curse you with the knowledge that I will not only hunt you down, but hunt your children as well. One day, Mulan. One day soon.


	7. Chapter 7: The Wrath of Crikee

**Author's Note: Sorry everyone, now, looking back on this, I find this scene a bit depressing. I changed it a little so it wouldn't be as bad, but this scene was mainly supposed to introduce more characters, not focus more on angsty ol' Mai. Don't worry, the next chapter will NOT be as...cruddy.**

_Heat waves sweltered Mai as she looked around, desperately at the burning house. She watched as black figures stood on top of the straw roof, looking down at her. Turning around, Mai found the shadowed men weren't looking at her, but a little girl whom was sobbing next to an old man's corpse. Mai shook her head, not wanting to see what came next. Not wanting to see the girl's fate. Not wanting to see what might happen next. What would happen next._

"Dang it, girl, wake up already!" Mai opened her eyes wearily, lazily waking from the dream. She was expecting Mushu's face, once again, to be staring back at her. It wasn't. A cricket's was.

"Ahh!" Mai screamed, jumping up and swatting her forehead hysterically. As she stood up, however, she felt the tent begin to collapse not only on itself, but on her, as well. With her great luck, not only did she hear Mushu's protests, but some of her comrades tents as well.

"Who's making all the racket!" An aggravated voice sounded out, followed by dozens of others. Mai frantically pulled the tent off of her, cursing everything and everyone around her as she searched for the cricket. She felt something crawl up her back, and froze with fear.

"Mornin, Ms. sunshine, the earth says hello. So, do you plan on trying to squash any of my other friends anytime soon?" Mushu whispered, hidden from sight at the back of her neck.

"What is going on!" Mai stood up out of the mess, and turned around. At least fifty men were out of their own tents, with all of their eyes on her. The man who called out Mai recognized as the man she had befriended before, Ping.

Blushing, Mai lowered her head a bit. "Umm…nothing. Just a….minor intruder." She said sheepishly, the others still fully alarmed.

"What intruder?" Mai turned to see Ping's companion, Tong Mu, yawning as he peeked out of his own tent. Mai studied him, trying to memorize his features for future reference. He was a tiny man, and though it seemed he had some muscle to him, it was surprising to Mai that he had ever made it through the army. She studied him a bit longer, noticing the speed in his reactions. Good reflexes.

"Take a joke." She mumbled sourly, clearing her head. She would not, could not let the men know that she woke all of them up because of a…a bug. They'd think she was a wimp. She couldn't help but shudder as Mushu tapped his claw impatiently on her back. Shaking her head, she began to set up her tent.

"And you said she was nice." She heard someone whisper. She stopped, and forcing a twisted smile on her face, turned around.

"All you need to know is that the tent fell over. No one was hurt, nothing was damaged, and it therefore does not concern you. Just so you know, you are my comrades, nothing more." She said forcefully, clearing her throat. The others looked at her, a bit shocked, and she felt Mushu stop tapping her back.

Finishing re-setting her tent, she looked at the sky. Almost dawn. She glared once at the staring men before entering her tent. Her emotional boundaries still up, she forgot to show her irritation as Mushu spoke up.

"Girl, what was that about? Acting like you were a know-it-all warrior. Somethin you wanna tell me?"

"What are you talking about? And what in the world is going on?"

"News Flash: Ms. Warrior of the century is scared out of her wits by Crikee, repeat, Ms. Warrior of the century is scared out of…."

"Crikee? You actually named that pest?"

"Pest? I'll have you know he's the luckiest cricket in China! The very one that rubbed his luck on Mulan! Besides, Mulan's grandmother named him, if I remember correctly."

"That thing was Fa Mulan's pet? You're kidding me, right?"

"No, he was not her pet, he was her comrade. She risked her neck and saved all of them; she cared. Your pretty lil speech didn't sound like her." Mushu raised a scaly eyebrow, looking at Mai.

When he first met her, she seemed pretty nice. Now, staring at her, he saw that hollow look in her eye again. _So she's been in battles, huh? How the heck can a fifteen-year-old know what war is like? Wait…if she was fifteen, why was she in the army? After all, the rules stated that she must be seventeen or older, not fifteen or older._

"Well excuse me for not being a Fa. How do you know that none of them are spies? If they learn how to trick me, how to manipulate me, and then people could die. Why do you think Ping's friends dared him to talk to me? Because around here, I'm known as a cold snotty nosed woman. I would love to be known as a kind good, heroic warrior just like in all of the legends, but that's just not possible."

"Woah, slow down! What's the matter with you? I was just introducing Crikee; then you go on a rampage talking about how life isn't fair. What is this, teenaged angst?" Mushu cocked his head, looking at Mai. Mai swallowed once, then lost her composure. The angry fire that had been in her eyes moments before was washed away. Sighing, she scratched her head..

"Ok, then where is this Crikee?" Mai said, adding some warmth in her voice. _I shouldn't have it back there. What if he's right? I'm going to be fighting with these men for the next four or five years, maybe it is better to get to know them. Still…I don't trust them. Not all of them, anyways. _

"Not one for apologizing, I'm guessin? Fine. About Crikee…I sorta already had your neck, and you didn't exactly have any pockets…"

"What are you talking about?"

"He's…um…not an expert on human anatomy…if I were you, I'd check your… torso area."

"What do you mean by th…" Mai was caught off-guard by a chirping sound coming from her clothing. She looked down, and shrieked, seeing the cricket looking back up at her. Jumping up and down, she tried desperately to get the cricket out of the way. Beet red, she heard Mushu laughing behind her.

"Introducing Mai of China's, the future warrior of China, horrible weakness. She fears the wrath of Crikee!


	8. Chapter 8: Ticklish

"Man, something is wrong with her! Oh, look at me; I'm terrified of an invisible intruder! What is she, nuts?" Tong Mu moaned, rubbing the back of his neck wearily. If getting up before sunrise daily wasn't enough, a misfit like Mai had shown up to wake them up even earlier. Over nothing.

"She's alright, just a bit….strange." Tong Mu's gaze fell upon his comrade and friend, Ping. Mu rolled his eyes, smirking. Moments later, Ping was dodging a pillow, confused. Mu jumped up, lightly knocking on Ping's head.

"Hello, hello, anyone in there? Jeez, you're not a morning person, are ya?" In response, Ping merely yawned sleepily. Mu shook his head, sighing.

"Out of the three hundred being trained at this camp, you're the only one who has been able to get along with her. She's bad luck, man. A woman in battle in a man's stead is dishonorable." Tong Mu chuckled, playfully punching Ping in the chest.

"Course, at least she doesn't talk in her sleep like you." Ping raised his head at this friend's remark, opening his mouth to protest. Someone beat him to the chase.

"She might not talk in her sleep, but she talks to herself. She's doing it now, if you two will shut up long enough to listen." Ping whirled around unsteadily, his eyes still glazed with fatigue.

"Junjie, you're just grumpy because you can't flirt with her." Junjie sat up and look at his two friends.

"Oh please, I wouldn't want her as a wife is she was the last woman on earth. Just look at her feet. They're huge!" Both Ping and Mu exchanged glances, eyes rolling at their friend. Junjie was widely known for sweet-talking every woman he met, young or old.

"Point taken that she isn't pretty, but at the theory that she's insane, I have to agree with Junjie on that. You have to admit, Ping, she's more than just weird." At Mu's statement, Ping shook his head.

"Come on, she isn't that bad. Besides, you have no proof that she's insane." Ping stopped, hearing a faint shriek resound a few tents away. His two friends burst out laughing, and Ping found himself dodging more pillows.

"Like I said man, that girl's just bad luck."

* * *

"You're punching like girls! Punch hard, punch swift, and punch accurately. Again!" Captain Zou's voice rang painfully in Mai's ear, and she winced involuntarily. A punch was a punch to her, what did it matter as long as you hurt the enemy?

Well, she wished she would dare ask Captain Zou that, however, she didn't want to further enhance her reputation as 'the runt of the bunch'. Mai wasn't a runt. She couldn't be a runt. After all, she had survived the streets for so long. There was no way she was a runt. She was just…out of place.

"Boy, if there was somethin I liked bout trainin, it sure wasn't the smell!" Mushu whispered, covering his nostrils. Mai simply continued the punching exercise, sweat pouring off her and her comrades' bodies. Punching was fine and dandy, but doing it for ten minutes straight and still being hounded about the technique wasn't.

"I can do this baby stuff in my sleep! Keep moving! Remember, swift as the air, strong as the mountain, and accurate so you don't die! Faster! Mai, my grandmother could do better! You're punching, not slapping! Again!" Captain Zou showed no mercy to any of the troops, never the less her. Mai respected him for that, but it sure wasn't comforting now. She still ached from previous training sessions.

In truth, it had only been a two weeks since she began the training, and her fatigue numbed the pain. Unfortunately, it hadn't done so earlier, and during the first week all the men moaned from their overworked muscles. Now, the men worked harder then ever, and though the pain had numbed away, Mai usually fell asleep the moment she collapsed on her sleeping cot.

Most of the men dreaded the archery and learning the new techniques, while Mai was the opposite. While she excelled at the archery and learned quickly, pull-ups and endurance runs wore her down the most. She simply didn't have any arm strength. Luckily, she was the first one in her group to successfully hit nine out of ten bull's-eye. Her torpedo launching skills were accurate, but frustrating. Captain Zou was constantly berating her for hesitating a moment before lighting a match. As she heard in one of his rants, 'a second is long enough to get your head chopped off!'

She was graceful with a stick, sure, but it wouldn't help against a sword. Rumor said that the highest-ranking Huns carried swords sharper than broken glass. It made Mai shudder just to think about it.

"Freeze!" The moment Captain Zou said it, everyone stopped, their legs still in midair ready to kick. Mai gulped, feeling her balance waver for a sliver of a moment. She sighed in relief, seeing that the captain didn't notice her slight misbalance. With great luck, however, Captain Zou no longer faced his troops, but instead faced the opposite direction, greeting a visitor.

"No way. Its ol' baldy!" Mushu whispered excitedly, laughing. Mai didn't care at the moment how Mushu knew the visitor; all she cared about was the threatening size of the man. He was huge, even more so compared to Captain Zou's rather short size. Mai blinked, struggling to maintain her balance as she stared at the giant in shock. Without a doubt, Mai was convinced that this man was able to kill her if he ever wished to.

"Jeez, he even has the same ol' blue armor! Man, I'm meetin ol' guys all over the place." Mushu spoke, and within a few seconds, Crikee's chirped back. Whatever he was saying went through Mai's ear, and out the other, for she was too busy staring at the giant, wondering what type of horse could carry his weight.

"Oh, Yao, you seem happy." The giant had a voice. It wasn't a loud or booming voice, but a…a…wait, did he just call Captain Zou by his first name?

"Yeah, yeah, good seein you too. Tell me Chien Po, were we as wimpish as these men when we were rookies?"

"Wimp?! Who he calling a wimp? Why, Mr. Black eye here got his butt burned firin fireworks!" Mushu insisted, and Mai instantly looked back and shhed him. She froze, hearing chuckles behind her.

"Told you she talks to herself." Mai couldn't tell whose voice it was, but she didn't really care. Even if she saw who said it, she wouldn't recognize him. She never bothered memorizing any faces. Instead, Mai turned her attention back to the captain, attempting to ignore the sharp pang in her chest from the comment.

"Don't answer that," Captain Zou began, seeing the look on Chien Po's face, "I'm guessing you have a message?"

"Why, yes! It says on the note, 'A Hun was caught in the new palace, working as a spy, trying to burn a note containing instructions. Through this information, we have discovered that a small tribe of Huns is currently crossing the mountains. Troops must complete training within a full moon's time, and complete the mission of killing and/or capturing all Huns found. Estimated to be one hundred Huns, at the most. Captain Chien Po is to accompany Captain Zou on the training completion and precede to help complete the mission.' We're team buddies." Mai's eyebrows shot up. Whether it was from hearing that they were to gruesomely smash a small amount of Huns or if it was from hearing someone call Captain Zou a 'team buddy', she didn't know.

"What?! But they haven't even trained a month yet! Surely they can't expect me to whip these wimps' hindquarters into place within that short of a time." Captain Zou spoke, surprising Mai how easily he ignored the 'team buddies' comment.

"I'll help." Chien Po spoke softly, as usual, but sincerely. The captain didn't look comforted. Mai however, was distracted by Mushu babbling behind her. She strained to keep her foot in midair, perfectly balanced, but she her body trembled.

"Besides, from the looks of it, the men are doing well." Chien Po spoke, pointing to Mai and her comrades. At that very moment, shifted his weight, apparently pouting at the fact that Mai wasn't listening to a word he had been saying. It tickled. Oh no….it tickled. Just then, Mai lost her balance. Falling in a heap, she noticed to her dismay, she had landed on a man beside her. That man fell upon another man. Within a few moments, the domino effect cursed the entire group, and almost all the men found themselves on the ground.

"Well, indeed." Captain Zou muttered under his breath.

Mai got up, sighing, and heard Mushu's protests.

"Girl, don't you know how to balance no more?!" Crikee, who was found lying under Mushu, chirped in agreement.

"Who tickled me?" Mai whispered, then turned to see the men all glaring at her as they got up. She noticed Ping's friend, Tong Mu, whisper.

"Told you man, women in the army is just plain bad luck." She lowered her head in shame, but then quickly turned to Mushu and Crikee, frustrated. Crikee pointed at Mushu.

"How was I supposed to know you were ticklish?"


	9. Hiatus

**Author's Note:**

**At those two horrid words, a set of dread sets in.**

**This is Freidon.**

**It's been about three years since I began the 'Mai of China' story. It was one of my first fanfictions, which could be a good or a bad thing. When I began writing it, I had no clue what the term "Mary Sue" referred to. I thought myself clever to create such 'original' plot lines such as Mulan mysteriously vanishing into thin air, leaving her daughter behind.**

**And yes, that is a confirmation that Mai was to be Mulan's long lost daughter. **

**From what I can gather from my scraps of notes and memory, Mai was to have a long lost twin brother, who remarkably managed to escape with Mulan and Shang into hiding. She was raised by her grandfather, who was conveniently widowed and unable to contact Mai's parents. He later died, sacrificing himself for her, and leaving her with an odd trinket of some sorts, I believe a locket. At four or five years old, Mai managed to not only escape her grandfather's killer, but live the tragic yet fruitful life of the street rat. **

**Until, of course, she decided to join the army, and 'happened' to be the only female soldier in her troop. She also 'happened' to meet many of her parents' past friends and impress not only them but her peers as she proves herself to be more than just a street rat, and avenge her grandfather's murderer (who just so 'happened' to be involved with an emperor's assassination plot) while at the same time discovering her parents. After embracing them and being praised for taking after her mother, she lives happily ever after, perhaps with a fellow peer that she briefly had a romantic encounter with. **

**Oh yeah, did I mention how Mushu has his own little subplot with the Real Stone Dragon and conviniently remains with Mai to continue being the comic relief?**

**It's scary how bad this story was, now that I sit down and think about it...**

**I put off writing this Author's Note in hopes that I would be able to pick up where I left off, or at least rewrite this story. At last, I come to realize that I am leaving the story unfinished, as it should be. While I appreciate my many fans and reviewers, I cannot help but look at this nostalgic story as anything but horrid. It is...sniff...officially on a permanent hiatus. **


End file.
